Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Several EU states are pushing for new EU-wide data retention

Several EU states are pushing for new EU-wide data retention

The return of a legal requirement on data retention remains a controversial issue in the EU. The British civil rights organization Statewatch has now published the positions of seven member states, including Germany. The majority of them are therefore for a new legal obligation in the entire community for telecommunication companies, connection and location data to log again comprehensively and only more or less specifically.
In addition to Germany, the Strong neighbors Luxembourg and the Netherlands as well as Sweden and Hungary. It was already known that the old federal government is advocating increased data retention. She wants, for example, that “over-the-top” providers such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal and Threema will also be covered by the “general and indiscriminate” storage requirements. It is also necessary “not only to save the IP address, but also the time stamp and, where relevant, the assigned port number”.

Limiting data retention to a specific geographic area would be “not particularly useful in view of the mobility of suspects,” writes the federal government in their recently published submission to the EU Commission. From a legal point of view, the question also arises how a targeted logging of user traces could be carried out “without discriminating against certain groups of people”. In addition, this approach would be “hardly technically feasible”.

In this respect, the local executive attaches particular importance to the imminent decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the existing but de facto suspended law on data retention. The data categories concerned and the duration of their retention are already limited therein.
Possible violation of European fundamental rights

The European Court of Justice Advocate General Manuel Campos Sánchez-Bordona nevertheless assumes that the German requirement violates fundamental European rights. The future traffic light coalition wants to make the rules for data retention “legally secure” and based on the occasion, which is likely to result in the “quick freeze” rejected by the previous government.

In its response to the survey launched by the Commission in June, Hungary also supports a general and indiscriminate storage of traffic data among the member states. The EU is only allowed to issue very general regulations here, since internal security is a matter for the nation states. The government in Budapest does not consider a targeted approach to be effective; the “freezing” of telephone and Internet data is at best an “additional instrument”. A data retention of only IP addresses is insufficient.

The Netherlands are in favor of an EU solution, also in the form of a law. They are of the opinion that a targeted measure limited to IP addresses would encounter major technical hurdles and may not be feasible at all. The government in The Hague also welcomes the provision of participant information such as inventory data, but considers this alone to be insufficient.

Sweden and Denmark made similar statements, with the latter criticizing the case law of the European Court of Justice as an obstacle to effective law enforcement and the work of the secret services. Luxembourg did not comment on specific approaches, but for EU legislation is in line with the line of the ECJ judges based in the same country.

Finland was the only one of the seven states to emphasize that there should be no general and indiscriminate data retention. The principle of strict necessity should be observed, and suitable protective measures should be provided. Thirteen other EU countries such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain also answered the Commission’s questions. However, they refused to release the relevant documents in response to Statewatch’s request for freedom of information. They justify the secrecy with the protection of public security.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×